


Inner Charm

by thraenthraen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Video Game)
Genre: Exams, Gen, Not Beta Read, Portraits, Video Game: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, honestly wtf constance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28266282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thraenthraen/pseuds/thraenthraen
Summary: “It’s her,” Jacques said, slipping into Rowena’s portrait. “That awful Pickering girl. She’s got a Charms exam, by the sounds of it.”“Gods, when will they expel her?” Rowena sighed. Constance Pickering was, by far, the worst student Rowena had ever had to deal with. The girl was denser than troll hide, and she’d taken an awful liking to Rowena.
Kudos: 3





	Inner Charm

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Constance saying, "When I was a student at Hogwarts, I'd rub Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait before every exam, in the hopes that I could absorb some of her intelligence. Unfortunately, the only thing that wore off on me was paint." 
> 
> ...And me going, "I'm sorry, you did WHAT?"

“It’s her,” Jacques said, slipping into Rowena’s portrait. “That awful Pickering girl. She’s got a Charms exam, by the sounds of it.”

“Gods, when will they expel her?” Rowena sighed. Constance Pickering was, by far, the worst student Rowena had ever had to deal with. The girl was denser than troll hide, and she’d taken an awful liking to Rowena, no matter how snide Rowena was.

“Are you going to hide?”

“She’ll just go searching for me again. Thank you for the warning though. Gives me time to think of something trite to send her off with. You said Charms?”

“The very same.”

“Thanks again, Jacques. Now go before she tries to rub you too.”

No sooner had Jacques left than the terrible girl appeared, racing hurriedly down the hall.

“Mistress Ravenclaw!” Pickering said, eyes wide with her usual pre-exam panic. “Oh thank Merlin you’re here today!” She stopped in front of the portrait, grabbed the frame, and crashed her head straight into Rowena’s chest. “I’m going to fail!” Pickering moaned against the canvas.

“Failure is an opportunity to learn,” Rowena said dully. There was no point protesting the girl’s attack on her portrait. Pickering would only find it exciting to know that Rowena could actually feel her greasy forehead sullying her paint and touch her more. Absolutely no respect, that girl.

“I can’t fail!” Pickering lifted her head and looked at Rowena desperately. “I already failed the last Charms exam! My mother will hang me by my toes for hours if I fail again!”

“Charms, is it?” This was Rowena’s chance. All she had to do was say something the daft girl would think wise and inspiring, and she’d be on her way again.

“Yeah, my worst subject! I’m absolute rubbish at it!”

“To succeed in charms, Miss Pickering, you must find your own inner charm.” She gave Pickering a sage nod, as if she’d just spoken some deep truth rather than a steaming pile of dragon dung.

“But what _is_ my inner charm?” Pickering asked.

“That, my dear child, you must find yourself.”

Pickering groaned. “I hate that you’re right.” Then, at last, she let go of Rowena’s portrait. “Okay. I’ll just find my inner charm on the way to class, and maybe I won’t fail.” She beamed. “Thanks, Mistress Ravenclaw!”

“You are very welcome, Miss Pickering.”

“I best be off then.” Then, without so much as a “may I?” she put her filthy fingers on Rowena’s portrait and rubbed a few quick circles. When she finished, she tapped her forehead and winked. “I think some of your intelligence wore off on me this time, Mistress Ravenclaw.” At that, Pickering turned and hurried down the hall toward the Charms classroom.

“It’s _Professor_ Ravenclaw to you, girl,” Rowena said irritably when the girl was too far to hear. She scrunched her nose and brushed her dress where Pickering had touched her, trying to remove the filth.

“Well, did it work?” Jacques said as he strolled back into her portrait. “Has she at last sapped some of your intelligence by rubbing you?”

“I feel stupider for having spoken to her, so perhaps she did.”

“You’ve just got to find your inner charm, Rowena.”

Rowena laughed. “What does that even mean? It’s utter nonsense!”

“Brilliant nonsense. That’s the quickest you’ve sent her away all year!”

“July could not possibly come sooner.” She sighed. “I must go find Argus again and ask him to clean my portrait.”

“Are you ever going to tell him it’s her?”

“Of course not.” Then Rowena left to find the caretaker.


End file.
